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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25447162">you must be gone by now</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/andsmile/pseuds/andsmile'>andsmile</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuesdayschildd/pseuds/Tuesdayschildd'>Tuesdayschildd</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>varchie content appreciation 💖 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Riverdale (TV 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Varchie!Centric, canon-compliant-ish, compilation for appreciation, or varchie cookie week, remember when archie ran in the rain to meet veronica? we surely do, tw: cheating, varchie content creator appreciation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:33:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25447162</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/andsmile/pseuds/andsmile, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuesdayschildd/pseuds/Tuesdayschildd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>a collection of drabbles, one shots, etc, to the VCCA or, as we call it, the varchie cookie week. showing some love to varchie content creators!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>varchie content appreciation 💖 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>you must be gone by now</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaatiekinss/gifts">kaatiekinss</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>our second child (the first being milly) is a gift to katiekins to honor her amazing canon-compliant missing moments, we hope we did you justice, and we love you and we think you'll be glad that you inspired our first collab! a missing moment from episode S3E19, maybe a little daring?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <em>you must be gone by now</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>.</strong>
</p><p>inspired by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666315">the sweethere after and what lies beyond</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“No. No boxing.” He’s still breathing heavily as he says that, chest going up and down quickly. </p><p><em> Right</em>, Veronica thinks. <em> Not a great idea</em>.</p><p>“Okay,” she says, looking around as if she could find a solution just lying in her living room amongst the furniture. “Fine. Um...we can host a benefit concert. At La Bonne Nuit. Josie has been calling me about doing a set.” She bites her lower lip, wondering if she should even be talking about Josie right now, if it will make him suddenly regret running to the Pembrooke in the middle of a thunderstorm at two in the morning. If it will make him run out just as fast. “So let me talk to her and the Ronsons, okay?”</p><p>Archie is quick to agree. “Okay. Thank you.”</p><p>“Yeah,” she answers, crossing her arms in front of her chest, suddenly feeling exposed. “No problem.”</p><p>There’s an empty space between them that Veronica can’t get used to, no matter how much time has passed. It’s what they try to fill up with pleasantries and politeness, <em> thank you’s </em> and <em> sorry’s </em>that mean either too little or too much. She hates it, hates being in this space -- she wishes she could go back to when there was no space at all, wishes she wasn’t at fault for it even existing.</p><p>His breathing begins to even out, but his eyes are still full of doubt. She feels guilty for that, too, that look on his face that was never there before she met him. Before she spoiled his goodness and pulled him into her chaotic life.</p><p>“I don’t…” He’s dripping on the carpet, clothes soaked through as he stares off into the flames in the fireplace. “I don’t want to be a murderer, Ronnie.”</p><p>His words and the way he says them make her heart ache. One more thing to feel guilty about -- how can he even think that? How are they living in this universe where Archie Andrews, of all people, has been so mistreated that he really thinks he could ever be capable of doing something like that? <em> Her </em>Archie Andrews, of cheap shampoo and Levi’s, copper scruff every Sunday morning?</p><p>“Archie.” Veronica steps closer, placing her hand tenderly on the side of his face, turning it to look at her. She needs him to hear her, needs him to see himself as she sees him. “I’ve told you before. You’re not a killer.”</p><p>Her thumb brushes over his wet cheek, and she swallows down the ache in her chest as his vulnerable eyes stare into hers. “You’re the best person I’ve ever met.” </p><p>Maybe that doesn’t mean much, considering who she <em> is</em>, but--</p><p>Archie closes his eyes, leaning his cheek into her palm. Veronica lets him. <em> It’s just a second</em>, she tells herself, heart slamming against her ribcage almost as loud as the thunder outside. <em> I’ll take my hand away in just a second. </em></p><p>He turns his face the slightest bit, his lips and breath grazing against her palm. The heat of it makes her breath catch in her throat. She’s taken back to the moment they shared the other day, in his living room, and how she had to find strength in the depths of her mind to pull back. It’s time to do it again, before they cross the line. </p><p>They can’t share any more moments -- they just hurt too much now. It’s not like <em> before</em>, when they could flirt and tease each other and remain friends. Now they’re just a reminder of what went wrong. It all went <em> so </em> wrong.</p><p>Veronica closes her eyes and tries to slowly pull her hand away, to get back across the line before it’s too late. But Archie places his hand on top of hers, keeping it there against his face. “Ronnie, please.”</p><p>She’s afraid to open her eyes, afraid to see that look she knows he’s giving her right now. The one that she’ll tip over right into as he sweeps her up in his gaze. And she thinks he <em> knows </em>that, knows everything about her, everything that makes her vulnerable.</p><p>Archie doesn’t move much. He just turns his face a little more until his lips are on her palm and he plants a small kiss there. They follow a trace down her lifeline, reaching the heel of her hand, and then her wrist. He breathes in deeply, almost as if trying to breathe <em> her </em>in.</p><p>It’s too much. He’s too much. </p><p>And <em> she’s </em> not strong enough. She’s void of any more willpower to step back. When she opens her eyes, the warning bells fire off in her brain, but <em> she’s </em> the one stepping forward. <em> She’s </em> the one closing the space between them. </p><p>She can feel the rain soaking through the front of her robe as he leans his forehead down to hers. The back of his free hand brushes over her cheek, oh so softly, and she stops breathing altogether. She holds completely still when his lips find her nose, and then the angle of her jaw, dragging over her cheek until they’re brushing carefully over the curve of her ear in a sweet, sinful torture. </p><p>When he presses them to her neck, her mind starts screaming. <em> What are you doing? </em> She wants to ask him. <em> What are you doing? </em>She wants to ask herself.</p><p>What kind of people are they? Can’t they control themselves for one minute? Are they meant to be dancing this dance for the rest of their lives? They can’t be together, they <em> can’t </em>-- she won’t have him back, not if it means her father is going to try to kill him again, not if it means she’ll lose him again. He shouldn’t--</p><p>His tongue drags up the column of her throat, and God, if she doesn’t let out the softest of moans, reaching out to clutch at his drenched shirt. Her mouth falls open in silent scream as her head dips back, offering up more skin as she frantically presses against him, <em> needing </em> to feel him.</p><p>Archie’s hand cards into her hair, fingertips sliding against her scalp, pulling <em> just </em>so. He groans softly against her skin, his teeth grazing the side of her neck. Veronica feels her eyes rolling inside her eyelids. </p><p>His breath is suddenly fanning across her lips, across that last little bit of space that shouldn’t be crossed. Tiny drops of water drip down from the tendrils of his hair, dotting her face. Cooling the heat. Waking her up. <em> No, </em> she thinks.</p><p>They can’t do this. This isn’t like the Back to School dance. They <em> can’t</em>. Where will this even take them? A one night stand followed by a fuckload of remorse? Another reason for Hiram to hate him? Someone else getting hurt, as usual?</p><p>There’s nothing to be gained here. “Stop,” she says softly, her lips barely brushing across his with the words. Archie winces quietly as if something has wounded him. </p><p>Veronica lets her eyes close and leans her forehead on his chin, taking both his hands in hers. “We can’t do this. You know we can’t.”</p><p>A part of her wants him to say that he doesn’t care. That it doesn’t matter, hoping he’ll say <em> fuck it </em> and grab her, sweep her up in his arms and take her to her room or the couch or wherever. This is probably what he would’ve done <em> before. </em> But the truth is, her Archiekins isn’t the same anymore. He’ll never be the same. There are just too many bruises for him to want yet another one. Another at <em> her </em> hand. </p><p>“Say it again,” Archie whispers after a moment, his lips on her forehead. “Just one more time before I go.”</p><p>Veronica feels her throat aching. “You’re not a murderer,” she affirms, still looking down, still holding his hands in hers. “You’re not a killer.”</p><p>He lets out a soft, small laugh, and pulls away, dropping her hands slowly as he steps back. “That’s not what I meant.”</p><p>His face is long as he leaves her standing by the fireplace, his wet footprints following his earlier ones across the hardwood floor. Veronica’s eyes fill up, spilling over as she watches the door shut softly behind him.</p><p>She follows his footsteps slowly, purposefully stepping into the puddles until her hands touch the door, her forehead leaning against it just like she was leaning against him not a minute ago. A tear falls from her eyes to join the raindrops he’s left behind. </p><p>“I love you,” she whispers to no one, her breath fogging up the wood. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
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